Melding icy electronics, potent cinematic beats and an expansive library of sound recordings; ‘Vectors’ is the new album by Dutch producer Jethro Kratos Hopmans aka Kratos Himself. DMCWORLD explores…
Hello, thanks for speaking with DMCWORLD. For anyone not familiar with you, please introduce yourself and what you do.
Hi, thank you for having me DMCWORLD! My name is Jethro and I make music as Kratos Himself. I’ve released some music in the past years but Vectors is my first album on Friends of Friends and I’m really excited about sharing it. I’m always trying to combine electronic and organic sounds and let elements from different genres meet in song and album.
Please talk us through your new album ‘Vectors’? What drove you to create the album?
Since 2013 I’ve been moving a lot, but I feel like I finally am at a place to stay. My studio always moved with me and therefore my releases and songs are somewhat nostalgic each time. As they represent a certain time and place, at least to me. Songs from Vectors have been made in several locations, but I also used demo’s and old recordings from those previous times. Vectors represents this whole period of moving. I intended to make all these moving parts into an album that also feels it’s made to stay.
Album link: https://fofmusic.lnk.to/Vectors
Where has had the biggest effect on you and why?
I had to move house a lot within a certain radius of my home town but Vectors does hold some recordings from different countries and places I visited and as previously mentioned, old demos and recordings from the past. Which is sort of time traveling I guess. The biggest effect was actually moving back in at my parents’ house for a year. I was limited in ways of making music and because of this it sort of forced me to find other ways like opening old project files or resampling old recordings/demos. This actually worked quite well and I continued doing it. I’m still making short demo’s with the intention of revisiting them later with fresh ears and more experience.
If money was no object, what musical item or studio equipment would you buy?
I’ve always wanted to learn and play the harp, those things are expensive.
What have been the biggest influences in your music career so far?
As a kid I grew up surrounded by free minded artists improvising using traditional african and shamanic instruments and techniques. This has been a continuing influence for my music. I love traditional music from foreign countries and I find a lot of inspiration there, but I’ve also grown up listening to Hip-Hop and have very much been influenced by electronic artists such as Amon Tobin and Rustie.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
If your mood changes badly due to criticism, there is probably some truth in it you’re just not ready to accept or able to fix yet.
And finally, what are three new tracks/albums you’d recommend someone to listen to?
Figueroa – The World As We Know It
Delic – Butterfly
Son Lux – Tomorrows I & II
